Sheffield boxing promoter proves his doubters wrong
A Sheffield boxing promotion company has been punching above its weight for two years.
Izzy Asif's GBM Sports emerged kicking and screaming on to the city's boxing scene with a message that they wanted to take on the big boys of the sport.
Some thought it was an optimistic mission to break into a domestic and world sports and entertainment industry pretty much ruled by the likes of Matchroom and Queensberry.
Some rival promoters even told him he'd never amount to much.
Now within just two years of promoting their first show, GBM have secured a multi-fight deal with broadcast giant DAZN to promote boxing events around the world.
Much of that is down to Asif's infectious enthusiasm and ability to fill venues with fights like the Park Community Arena, Sheffield and York Hall, Bethnal Green, supported by eye-catching video technology.
Never one to stand still, the one-time Sheffield cruiserweight, is now planning to extend his reach via DAZN, the sports streaming and entertainment platform which covers boxing, MMA, Golf and NFL across the globe.
DAZN has huge audience figures, 1.5 million people are said to have watched Katie Taylor v Amanda Serrano, for instance.
Izzy said the deal of partnering with DAZN had been "cooking for a while" but he was happy to have got it over the line, in a business landscape where London promoters had dominated.
It was a proud day for his family, friends, and community, the Abbeydale based businessman said.
He complimented his young team for the work they had show over recent months, including commentator Adam Smith who brings over three decades of experience in working in top level boxing for Sky Sports.
It was now time to push on and "get to the next level."
He commented: "I said I'd wanted us to be one of the best promotional outfits in the country, that's not being arrogant or getting carried away, I genuinely believed that.
"We have got vision and hunger for the sport," he said, adding that he had invested a lot of personal money into the mission, putting "my neck on the line, where other guys might not have risked it."
Izzy told the Boxing Social website that he woke up at 4am visualising ways to improve boxing and its general promotion.
The workload had been tiring for him and his family but the new partnership had made it worthwhile, as they looked forward to working alongside Matchroom on the platform and proving the doubters wrong.
Their earlier link up with talkSPORT had also helped them blossom, said the promoter who was out spreading the word in Saudi Arabia recently.
GBM's show on June 29 in Coventry will be the first of many to be broadcast on DAZN, he said.